OUR DAIRIES.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume VI, Issue 584, 17 February 1882, Page 2

OUR DAIRIES.

No. 7.—Mr Sam. Fyfk's,

On one of the spurs of Mount Brazenoso, on a grassy slope at the head of Ay liner's Valley, is the dairy farm of Mr Sam. Fyfe. There are few finer views of tho harbor than from this homestead, and tho walk there is well repaid by the beiuty of the scenery alone, Mr Fyi'e'n cheese and butter have a very high reputation and fetch a good price ; indeed, Mrs Fyfe makes it a rule never to sell her splendid butter at less than Is per pound, tho milk being used for oheeso when that, price is i.ot procurable. The farm is about 100 acres in extent, and is a beautiful piece of grazing land, hut Mr Fyfe has also another 50 acres at the back of Mr (Jlynan's, where he sends his young and dry stock to relieve the home paddocks. Supplying man}' people with milk, Air Fyfe has to have cows in all the year rou;..!. At present he is milking 25, which, considering the lateness of

tho season, are yielding an excellent average of milk. The stockyard is lower down the hill than any of the buildings, and sufficiently on the slope to speedily drain itself. The dairy is small, but con venient, but a large addition is in course of erection, and will be speedily finished. The dairy u< conveniently fitted with screw and lever press and other requirements, and is a few yards from the cow shed, but higher up the hill. The cheese-house adjoins. This is beautifully cool, the 'walls being of thick cob, and through the gauze netting that cover the windows a stream of cool air is constantly passing. The house is pleasantly situated on the brow of the lull, in a paddock surrounded by walnut trees. At the back of the house is one of the best gardens in Akaroa. It must be fully two acres in extent, and contains a great number of choice fruit trees kept in uplendid order. The vegetables too, look remarkably well, and a very pretty bed of llowers shows a love of beauty as well as utility. The garden is splendidly sheltered by a belt of bush, and is watered by a number oil tiny streams. Mrs Fyfe, who makes tho cheese and butter, kindly took our reporter over the premises and fully explained everything. It is their custom to make butter alone at the commencement of the season, as the batter then fetches a yood price, and the skim milk does to i'eed the calves. Of these there are about n dozen at present on the farm, and they look as well ay any young stock our reporter has seen. The milk is set in pans at night and in the morning is poured, cream and all. into the new milk. Mrs Fyfe usually uses their own rennet, and was much displeased with some which hail been presented as a prize to Mr Fyfe at the Anniversary Day Exhibition, which she heartily objurgated saying it was no good at all. They usually kill the calves for teiinet when they are a fortnight old or so. The milk is sat at 80 degrees, never higher. In about an hour when sufficiently curdled it is cut across with a knife and then broken up with tho hand. No sour whey i.-i used, and Mrs Fyfe argues that the whey is neviT to'j white, unless the curd is unnecesLjiuiy knockod about at the ear.ier stages. Tins sweet whey iv heated S'-'HcienLiy the iin-l, liv.m to bring the temperature of the card to 90 degrees, and after about 2(J minutes rest it is raised tv 100 degrees. It is then allowed to rest half an hour when the whey is run oft', and it is heaped in the centre of the tub to drain, being cut several times Ii is then broken up and put ;ri thts dripper with a i-ilight weight, taken out, ground, and put in the dripper again, in a cloth. It is afterwards ground a second time and Siilied, after which it goes into a luver pits-s, with a light weight, and the next d;:y gods into the screw press. As will bo weuii this system is a very severe one ay ffir as trio extraction ol: ev:;ry particle! of wiicy is concerned, Mid the quality of the cheese produced shows it to be very efficacious. Urn , reporter is desirous of recording his sincere thanks for the extreme couriesy with which ho was received.